


Unorthodox Lines of Communication

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Can you tell I'm a millenial?, Cellphone lingo, Coulson uses Tinder, Daisy is the tech savviest, Dating apps are hard, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Movie Dates, Poor nerdy Coulson, Set Vaguely In The Future, carnival dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 07:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8319850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: Phil looked around his room, closed off from the mostly empty plane.“Might as well see what all the fuss is about.”The little instructions on the screen were simple; swipe right for yes, left for no. If he said yes to someone who also said yes, they would be able to send messages to each other.“Oh boy.” 
AKA Coulson discovers Tinder





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another Tumblr convo/con interview joke that got out of hand, happy Tuesday!

“Funny,” Coulson called. “Very funny, you guys.”

Mack and Elena stopped to look back at him, curious looks on their faces.

“What do you mean?” Mack asked, and Phil raised an eyebrow. The other man shrugged, looking clueless.

_I don’t believe you for a second._

“Never mind, have a good time,” Phil said, waving them away. Elena smiled, and Coulson wondered if maybe she was in on it. _Or the mastermind_. Watching them walk down the ramp, Coulson walked back to his bunk, scrolling through his phone. _Someone_ who had the access had gone on his phone and downloaded Tinder, of all things. It was clearly a joke, and mileage clearly varied.

Phil was about to delete the app right away when curiosity got the better of him. He opened it. “What the hell…?” He muttered. There was already a profile set up for him, with accurate information. Sure, they fudged some of the occupation details (it just said “government,” nice and vague,) but the age, interests, _photos._ All him. “Where did they even get those?”

He shut the door to his bunk and sat on his bed, debating. It was probably a symbolic gesture, as well as a joke. He had been understandably mopey lately, and getting more and more antsy about the lack of communication from Daisy. Sure, he knew she was alive every time a headline came up, but correspondences were preferred, and they were few and far between.  

_So what is this supposed to do?_ Did they think dating would help him?

Phil looked around his room, closed off from the mostly empty plane. “Might as well see what all the fuss is about.”

The little instructions on the screen were simple; swipe right for yes, left for no. If he said yes to someone who also said yes, they would be able to send messages to each other. “Oh boy.” Leaning back on his bed, Coulson looked at the first woman who came up. _Carol, 39, likes dogs, action movies and barbecues._ From her profile and her photos, Carol seemed like a lovely woman. A lovely, normal woman whose life he had no business meddling in. He swiped left.

For a while he just went through like that, examining the profiles carefully, trying to form a better image of who they were. But even those he thought could work were sent to the left. He couldn’t risk it. Besides, he wasn’t really interested in looking for anything at the moment. Even something casual.

_Especially something casual._ Call him old-fashioned, it just wasn’t his style.  

Eventually he gave up on combing for details and just swiped, swiped, swiped, trying to make assumptions based on the small bits of information that came up on the home screen. Age, occupation, education, photo. It was fun for a profiler, doing it on the fly, and he kept trying to outdo himself. _Swipe. Collects antique books. Swipe. Serial shoplifter. Swipe. Not a real person. Swipe. Married. Swipe. Too young. Swipe. Out of my league._

Okay so maybe it wasn’t all professional profiling. Maybe he was getting into his own head, his own insecurities. Whatever it was, he was distracted enough to realize mid-swipe what he was seeing. She disappeared.

_No way._

“How do I get it back?” He asked, out loud. The phone didn’t hear him, but he must have been paused long enough to get a little Tip window.

_‘Having second thoughts? Shake your phone to undo.’_

Fully knowing how ridiculous he looked, Phil shook his phone profusely until the profile was brought back. He stared at the photo.

He’d know her anywhere. The shadows on her face obscured it a bit, the clothes were not her usual style but the small smile on her face? The posture?

It was Daisy.

Scratch that.

“Hello _Lola_.”

* * *

Coulson’s screen dimmed and he tapped it again carefully, before it went to sleep. He’d been staring at her profile for god knows how long, trying to figure her out to no avail. First of all, she was _here_ , in the city, five miles away according to GPS. _She could fool that though._

Second, why was she on a dating app? It was none of his business, she could do whatever she wanted. But as vague as her profile was, he knew it was her right away. Or at least someone using her picture. There were Quake fanatics out there, they both knew that. What was stopping one from finding her?

His screen dimmed again. Phil sighed. What happened if his screen locked, would he lose her again? Have to swipe through dozens of other trying to find her? Or would she be gone?

He had to make a choice. He had to swipe. Suddenly, he was oddly embarrassed. Had she seen his profile? Even if Mack or Elena made it, she didn’t know that. He must look pathetic, using a hookup app at his age, while SHIELD was struggling to regain respect and she was out in the world struggling.

But what if she knew he would be on there? Her alias wasn’t exactly subtle. In fact, it seemed designed to catch his attention. Was it simply the first thing that came to mind? Did she change it often? She didn’t ask about Lola the last time they talked, but to be fair, conversations were kept brief. Not only were they being monitored, but Phil was trying really hard not to scare her off again. If he got too sentimental or personal, she fled.

_“I care about you too, you know,”_ he’d said once, and the second the words left his mouth he could hear how childish they sounded. It was meant to be reassuring, telling her she wasn’t alone in worrying about someone else all the time. But it didn’t sound that way. He may have been running on two hours or so of sleep, but it wasn’t an excuse. He wasn't thinking clearly, about what that kind of sentiment would do to her when she was already feeling so much guilt. So she left, and a month or so later when they were able to talk again, he watched his mouth. 

“Lola,” he read aloud, finger hovering over the screen. What was the worst that could happen? If she was embarrassed like him, not wanting him to see her profile, she could say no and never know he said yes. No harm, no foul. Taking a deep breath, he swiped his finger to the right.

‘ _It’s a match!’_

* * *

 

She was waiting in the back corner of the theater, the only one there barring an elderly couple sitting near the very front. The movie was a bland romantic comedy (his favorite) on its last days in the theater, so they could depend on it staying pretty empty.

It didn’t take two movie buffs long to decide on that setting.

“Hey,” Coulson said, sitting in the seat next to her.

“Gummy worm?”

Coulson made a funny face, reaching in his own coat pocket. “Damn. I was hoping you would have brought those sour watermelon ones.” He dropped his bag of gummy worms in the cup holder, defeated. Daisy smiled, plucking another gummy worm from her bag.

“Next time I’ll remember that,” she said, biting the head off of the candy. Coulson looked away, taking his coat off and laying over the seat next to him. They were early, plenty of time to talk before the movie started, but after that he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Was she planning to stay? Was this just a serendipitous planning session?

Or were they _going to the movies_? She never made it exactly clear what her intentions were, just sent him hand waving emoji and setting up the meeting.

“You know, Mack is the one who put that thing on my phone,” he said suddenly, and Daisy chewed the rest of her candy, looking at him curiously. Phil opened his bag of worms, popping one in his mouth. “Or Miss Rodriguez, I’m not sure yet,” he added, chewing.

“No they didn’t,” Daisy said, and for a moment Phil thought she was simply defending her friends. She bit the head off another worm.

“How?”

“Remote access,” she said, popping the headless gummy worm into her mouth. Coulson wondered vaguely why she ate them like that, but there were more important things to focus on.

“Why?”

Daisy gave him a look. “You seriously think SHIELD is going to monitor your Tinder account?”

Coulson shrugged. “Maybe for entertainment value?”

She got a little crinkle between her eyebrows that said ‘You Have Displeased Me’ but didn’t actually say anything.

So Daisy put the app on his phone, so they could meet up. It was a smart plan. Instantly he was embarrassed. Of course she wasn't just using dating apps, _of course_ he didn't just happen upon her profile. It was a strategic move, and a good one. It made much more sense than--

“So wait a minute,” she began, turning in her seat to look at him. “Why would you think Mack and Yo Yo put it on your phone?”

“Who else could it be if I didn’t do it?” He asked, hoping it was too dim in the theater for her to see his face turn red. 

Daisy shook her head. “No, I mean, why would they want to put it on there in the first place?” She asked. Then she got a strange look on her face before it faded back to a neutral expression. “Are you like, getting back into dating or something?”

Coulson sat back a little bit. “Getting _back_ into--What? No. I’m not-- No.”

“I mean, because you should, if that’s something you want to do,” she said quickly, shifting in her seat as well. The subject clearly made her uncomfortable, which was curious. Part of him wanted to dig into that a little deeper, but he knew his time with her was limited. He didn’t want to waste it with teasing.

“I’m not really looking to meet anyone new, right now,” he just said, and as if on cue the lights began to dim further. A little pit formed in his stomach. Any moment now Daisy was going to leave. They established a new form of communication, mission accomplished, meeting over. Carefully he looked over at her, expecting to see her grab her coat.

Her jacket was in her hands, but instead of putting it on she was digging through the pockets. It was getting pretty dark, but in the glow from the screen it looked like she might be smiling.

“Aha!” She whispered, pulling something from her pocket. A small, crinkly package dropped in his lap, and Coulson lifted it up so he could see it in the dim light.

“You _did_ bring them,” he said, smiling at her as he held up the coveted candies. Daisy rolled her eyes good naturedly, and the booming sound of a preview blocked out whatever she said to him next.

“What?”

“ _Shhhh!_ ”

Startled, Phil and Daisy looked down at the old couple below, who were now facing the screen innocently.

Daisy pointed at him sternly, then put her finger to her lips, pretending to shush him as well. Phil elbowed her lightly, and she retaliated by grabbing the bag of sour watermelons from his hands and opening it.

Phil didn’t know what he did right to deserve it, but she stayed for the whole movie. They propped their feet up on the seats in front of them (no one was sitting there, they were fair game,) shared candy and occasionally got shushed by the couple up front until Daisy started shushing back.

They stayed for the whole movie, but if you asked Phil he couldn’t tell you how it ended.

* * *

 

“Coulson, Yo Yo and I are going to grab a beer, you want to come along?” Mack asked from the doorway. Phil looked up, feeling uncomfortably like a teenager, sprawled across his bed with his phone. He knew Mack’s judgment face, and he was definitely getting it now.

“I’m all set, thank you,” he said, glancing down at his phone. _Nope._ Not her. Again.

Mack sighed, crossing his arms. “Look, you know I hate to get involved-- _really_ hate to get involved--”

“So don’t,” Phil said lightly, putting his phone down and looking up at Mack expectantly. He thought he should probably sit up, be a bit more dignified, but he had committed to this position, he was sticking with it.

“I’m just saying, you spend a lot of time on there,” Mack said, clearly uncomfortable.

“Mack?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to talk about my love life right now? Because you look like you _really_ don’t.”

It was true, but Mack was nothing if not a good friend, just trying to help. (They were friends, right? Phil counted him as a friend.)

“Look, you spend all this time swiping through like you’re flipping pages in a magazine, have you actually asked anyone out yet? Or are you just browsing?”

He had a point, somewhere in there. “If I go on a date tonight, will you be less concerned?”

Mack looked exasperated, like he didn’t know how he ended up having this conversation in the first place.

Phil looked down at his phone and smiled. “Hey look,” he said, swiping right and showing Mack the screen. “‘ _It’s a match_!’” He read cheerfully. “Her name is Keira, she’s blonde, 3.25 miles away and _loves_ skydiving.”

* * *

 

“Hey stranger,” Daisy said, leaning back against the ticket booth. She waved two strips of tickets at him and pushed off the wall, leading the way through the crowded fair. Phil followed, smiling contentedly as she linked her arm with his. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

Phil made a face. “Are you forgetting who took _you_ skydiving for the first time?” He asked, and Daisy smirked.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

They weren’t, in fact, going skydiving (again,) but she instead led him to one of the tallest ferris wheels he’d ever seen. “Oh boy,” Coulson said, and they approached the machine operator. Daisy handed him their tickets, smiling, and Phil jumped slightly as she slid her hand into his back pocket.

“I know you’re supposed to group pairs,” she said conspiratorially to the incredibly uninterested young man working the ride, “but do you think you could make an exception?” She pointedly directed him with her eyes to the two children in line behind them. Tugging Phil closer she leaned her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled at the attendant. He rolled his eyes and waved them through, closing the hatch to small cab. Phil sent him a little salute as the ride moved, lifting them up out of his eyeline.

Daisy caught Coulson staring at her, and looked at him innocently. “What? Carnivals are creepy already, no one wants to traumatize a couple of kids.”

“Fair enough,” he said, watching as they got higher and higher before stopping as another group boarded. “This should take a while, what did you need to talk about?”

Daisy gave him a look, one that screamed, ‘oh, give me a break.’

“Right, first things first,” he said, sliding closer and pulling her in for a kiss. Phil couldn’t remember the last time he made out on a carnival ride, the whole thing was delightfully juvenile. _Speaking of juvenile_ … “Did you have cotton candy before I got here?” He asked pulling back for a moment. Daisy sent him a guilty look.

“I got here really early and I couldn’t help it,” she said, absentmindedly (or maybe not) running her hand up and down his thigh. “The cart stopped right in front of me.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Coulson said, kissing her quickly before pulling away again. Daisy made a protesting noise. “But we’re getting funnel cake later.”

“Okay,” she agreed, laughing before his mouth was on hers.

It was _very_ juvenile, but what could he say? They were already forced to sneak around, might as well have fun with it. Daisy had basically curled into him, her knee splayed across his lap in a way that couldn’t possibly be comfortable, but they were working with limited space. The ride suddenly stopped again, and they heard the sound of giggles nearby. Separating slightly the two of them looked up and could see the pod above theirs now had a full view of their activities. Daisy raised an eyebrow at the two teen girls, who immediately ducked down out of their view.

“Not our most private setting,” Phil said wryly, backing off a bit but combing his fingers through her hair.

“No it is not,” Daisy agreed, and the ride began moving again. They were nearing the top now, and Phil looked down at the lit up carnival below them.

“So what happens after the ride ends? Are you going to win me a teddy bear?” He asked, tugging her into a full-on cuddle. He couldn’t remember the last time he did that on a carnival ride either. Particularly not with someone he was this in love with.

“I’m gonna win you like, five teddy bears,” Daisy said, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I used to hate these, you know.”

“Oh?”

Phil could feel her nod against his shoulder.

“I never got what the point was, when you could go on a roller coaster or anything that spins fast enough someone might puke. Where was the fun?”

As adventurous as he liked to think he was, Coulson was glad they were not on a roller-coaster or other vomit-inducing deathtrap.

“I think the difference is in the company,” Daisy said, looking up at him. She looked at him meaningfully, like there was something else to say, but she was holding back.

Whatever it was could wait, apparently, because she leaned in and kissed him slowly, twisting her fingers into his shirt, mapping his mouth with her tongue as if they had all the time in the world.

The cab slowed to a stop, just at the very top of the wheel. Phil pulled away, a terrible thought coming into his head. “Do you want to hear something bad?”

Daisy’s brow furrowed. “No.”

He laughed slightly. “No, not that kind of bad, just…” He trailed off, looking at the night sky around them. It seemed oddly quiet up there, the sounds of the carnival below faint and distance. “I was just thinking how I wouldn’t mind the power going out right now,” he said, thinking vaguely of all the people on rides who would _not_ appreciate his line of thought. “Not for too long,” he clarified, “just to stretch this out a little bit longer. It’s very selfish.”

“Very,” Daisy repeated. “There is another option, though.”

Phil swallowed, hearing the weight behind her deceptively light tone. Not wanting to jinx it, he just waited. 

The cab started moving again, and for a heart stopping second Phil thought it might have ruined the moment. But then Daisy said those words he’d been dying to hear.

“I think I’m ready to come home.”

* * *

“Phil,” Daisy called, and Coulson peeked his head out of the bathroom door, shaving cream still all over half of his face.

“What’s up?”

Daisy was sitting up against the headboard, phone in her hand. His phone, to be exact. She turned it around so he could see the screen.

“Who are all these girls on your phone, Phil?” She swiped through a few photos without looking, simply staring him down. Tightening the towel around his waist, he leaned against the doorway.

“I’d think you’d recognize that one,” he said, and she looked at the photo she’d paused on.

“Oh, right,” she said, and if it were anyone else he’d be able to detect a blush as she scrolled back to the 'other' women. “She’s pretty,” Daisy allowed, zooming in on a dark haired woman holding a puppy.

“She is,” Coulson said, gesturing to his face. “Do you mind?” Daisy shook her head, preoccupied once again with his phone. Phil walked back into the bathroom and finished up shaving, throwing on a pair of sweatpants he’d left on the floor. It was a Saturday and they actually had the day off, discounting emergencies. He intended to take advantage of it.

“Now this one is just ridiculous,” Daisy said. Flopping on the bed next to her, Phil peeked over her shoulder trying to get a look at the screen.

“Oh, I like that one,” he argued, pulling the phone over to get a better view. “I thought the wig was really convincing.”

“Not convincing enough to trick you,” Daisy shot back, zooming in on her face.

“It was less about the wig, more the description that gave it away,” he joked, planting a kiss on her shoulder where her sleeping shirt had slipped down.

Daisy hummed in agreement, looking up at the ceiling. “What was that one again?” Wrapping an arm around her waist, Coulson moved in closer, kissing her higher up on her neck.

“Hmmm, I think that was the one where you enjoyed Truffaut movies and vans and hated subtext.”

“Right, Tiffany,” Daisy remembered, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. “She was fun.”

“She wasn’t kidding about the vans, either,” Coulson said, recalling his sore back the following days.

“No she was not.” Daisy grabbed him by the face, pressing her mouth to his before making him look her in the eye. “You’re not going to get bored with just one of me are you?” She was joking, but he could see the tiniest hints of doubt there, the fear that she wasn’t enough.

“Daisy in the time I’ve known you you’ve had three identities,” he said flatly. Moving one of her hands so he could kiss her palm. “And one of them is a superhero. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fanboy,” she drawled, patting him on the cheek before standing up. She knew of course there was more to it than that, he’d made sure there were no doubts about his feelings going into it. Some days they both needed a little more convincing, but this wasn’t one of those days.

“You’re walking away,” he said, sitting up as she moved across the room. “Why are you walking away?”

“Bathroom,” Daisy said. Sighing dramatically, she leaned against the door. “God, it’s like you’re obsessed with me or something.”

Coulson held up his phone, his _album_ of her many different aliases, selfies when she was away on missions, and even the occasional couple shots when she could persuade him. “What gave you that idea?”

_Obsessed_ was a little harsh though. _Invested,_   _infatuated_ , _in love._ Those were much more accurate, Phil thought.

Maybe he would consider password protecting his phone, though, like she had recommended. Just in case.

**Author's Note:**

> Well Clark if you hadn't joked about Tinder so much we wouldn't be here would we?
> 
> Also, the 'shake to undo' thing is possibly from Bumble, not Tinder, I'm not sure but the visual is fun so I went with it.


End file.
